My husband is killing a ram,and I know you can use goat gut for cheese making,but don't know about sheep gut.Now when he brings it in how do I prepare it to make cheese.I have been told from some one I can keep it in freezer just use it over and over.Any one have a word on this for me. thanks

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), November 10, 2001

Answers

If you are talking about using the stomach lining for rennet to curdle the milk, it needs to be from the stomach of a young animal that has only been drinking milk, no solid food yet. Given that, the stomach lining of a calf, kid, or lamb will work. Our ancestors usually used a calf's stomach as it is larger, but if you have a lamb or a kid, and no calf, by all means use what you have. However, the stomach of an animal that has started really eating solid food begins to lose the enzymes necessary to digest milk, and is no longer useful for rennet.

Hope this helps.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 10, 2001.

There used to be a List on eGroups ~ whoops, it's now Yahoo! ~ called Cheese-L. They made cheese from sheep milk. Don't know if they're still around.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), November 10, 2001.

=== Thanksso much for all this information.We did get it buthered even decided to cook some.I was wondering how the meat would taste since he was even at that time breeding and he was not a little small lamb so was concerned Well just thought I would let you know, the meat is great no bad oder or taste.cooked up very tender.this sheep was barbadal.Thanks again. ===

The reason the meat turned out so well is that the Barbado Blackbelly can be butchered at any age and taste good ~ unlike wool sheep!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), November 11, 2001.